As 2027 general election is fast approaching, the Independent National Electorate Commission (INEC) has wiped-out 170 political parties out of 171 that applied for registration as political parties.
INEC has officially registered just one, while another has been registered through a court order.
The newly registered party, which has fulfilled all electoral and constitutional requirements, is the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA).
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) was registered following a ruling from the Federal High Court in Lokoja, Kogi State, in case No. FHC/LKJ/CS/49/2025, which mandated INEC to register the NDC.
During a briefing for political party leaders from across the nation on February 5 in Abuja, INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan stated that all 171 associations that submitted registration requests were evaluated according to Sections 222 and 223 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), Sections 75 and 79(1), (2), and (4) of the Electoral Act, 2022, as well as Clause 2 of the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties, 2022.
“Consequently, 14 associations that met the initial prequalification criteria were invited to advance to the next stage. Of these, 8 successfully uploaded their documents on the Commission’s dedicated portal.
“They are the All Democratic Alliance (ADA), Citizens Democratic Alliance (CDA), Abundance Social Party (ASP), African Alliance Party (AAP), Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA), Green Future Party (GFP), National Democratic Party (NDP), and the Peoples Freedom Party (PFP).
“Out of these eight, only two were deemed eligible for final assessment and verification of compliance with the Constitution and the Electoral Act.
“After careful consideration, only the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) was found to have fully met the legal requirements. Therefore, the Commission has decided to register the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) as a political party, effective today, February 5, 2025.
“Additionally, the Federal High Court in Lokoja, Kogi State, in case No. FHC/LKJ/CS/49/2025, ordered the Commission to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as a political party.
The Commission has resolved to comply with this order, and the NDC will also be registered as a political party. Certificates of Registration will be issued to both new political parties in due course.”
2027: INEC wipes out 170 political parties, registers 2
